To the Heart, Through the Stomach
by MiketheItalianDragonslayer
Summary: It's the annual Flower Viewing festival in Magnolia, and once again, Gajeel, wows everyone with the delicious freakin' food he brings. Levy is determined to find out where he gets it from. But she ends up finding out much more than she bargained for.


The sweet scent of honeyed crumb cake and spiced chocolate wine filled the air around the Magnolia cherry tree. Yet again, Gajeel had gone and found the best foods to bring to the annual Flower Viewing. Master Makarov pat Gajeel on the back for yet another fantastic find.

"My boy, it's been five years since you've joined Fairy Tail, and every year, I always ask the same question; where do you find such delicious treats for us?" Gajeel, like every year, laughed his signature laugh and said that he'd pick them up at a specialty shop on his way back from a job. For weeks afterward, Mira and Kiana would spearhead a movement to get the rough natured Dragon Slayer to disclose the location of this specialty shop, and just like every year, he would tell them that the shop was probably going to close soon anyway. And just like every year, everyone would buy that excuse.

But Levy knew better.

Gajeel was an impressive liar, but Levy was good at reading people. She knew for a fact that shop wasn't closing, and she was determined to find out where it was. The year before, Gajeel had brought them cheddar ale bread with spiced olive oil for dipping, venison chops with rosemary, and caramel filled brownies sprinkled with sea salt and cinnamon. It was the best food Levy had ever eaten, and she wanted more. She was going to find out the location of that shop no matter what.

Levy made a resolution that she would not eat another bite of Gajeel's fare until she found out where it had come from. Of course, she still had plenty of other delicious options to choose from. Laxus, Alzack and Gildarts had led a hunting expedition a few weeks prior, and came back with a wide variety of game. They had brought back six wild turkeys, a few pheasants, and some fat, meaty rabbits, and Gildarts had come back with an elk and a bison. They had the only butcher in Magnolia process those meats, and Mira and Kiana had prepared a wide variety of dishes with them, including sausage, roasts, chops, and rack ribs.

Lucy and Juvia had the wonderful idea of planting a garden behind the guild hall's pool in order to cut back on food expenses for the guild, and Mira had made a splendid array of salads from the eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, beets, and squash that were grown. Kiana had made some lovely pies and tarts out of the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, honeydews, and grapes as well.

Magnolia's other wizard guild, Twilight Ogre, had supplied homemade ales and lagers, and many of Magnolia's shops and street vendors added their fares to the party as well, so Levy knew she would not go hungry. But nothing was as good as the food from Gajeel's mystery shop. She just had to find out where it was. So, like anyone does when they want to find something out, she talked to him.

"Hey Gajeel", she beamed happily. It _was _nice to talk to him again. Every year around this time, he would disappear for a few weeks on jobs, and he did so without saying good-bye. It always made her a little sad, and in this particular moment, she thought about just how happy she was to see his rough, yet warm hearted smile again.

_Huh,_ she thought_, where did that come from?_ She brushed the thought aside as Gajeel turned to her. "Hey there, shrimp," he said, his long black hair slicked back as usual. He wasn't wearing his usual sleeveless tunic and khakis. Instead he had on a grey, pinstriped button down shirt, a pair of black jeans, and a brown leather jacket. He still had on his fingerless gloves and calf high combat boots. But he was also wearing a yellow headband with a black stripe down the center. Levy blushed.

She had made that for him a while ago, and he never wore it. She thought he didn't like it.

"I gotta tell ya Levy, you make a damn nice headband", said Gajeel. "It fits just right."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you like it", Levy giggled. "At first I thought you didn't like it, 'cuz you never wore it after I gave it to you." Gajeel blinked.

"Nah, it's just that when I got home that day, I had put it down and it got lost in a mess of shit, and I had been working a lot recently, so I was too tired to clean my place up to look for it." That didn't make her feel much better, but at least it was better than him hating it. It had been so difficult to make, she would have felt terrible if he had never worn it at all. But she was getting sidetracked. She needed to know where that food came from.

"So, Gajeel, the food is delicious this year, don't you think?", she asked. "Lucy and Juvia's garden was a great idea, the fruit pies are amazing."

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty nice. The crust is super flaky, like a good pie crust should be. Kiana must have used shortening instead of butter. I think those sausages Mira made are pretty killer though. The spices she used balances out the garlic nicely. Probably my favorite thing here. Well, other than the ales." Levy's eyes widened in astonishment at his eloquence. Was this Gajeel?

"I, uh… You really know what you're talking about, huh Gajeel?", she asked. She had rarely ever seen him eat anything other than iron, and when he did, he never talked about it the way he just did. He seemed nervous at the question, though. _That's weird,_ Levy thought, but then, Gajeel had never been good at accepting compliments.

"I… I guess, yeah", he said. His eyes shifted to the grass beneath his feet. The air around them grew awkward. Levy had to break the silence if she wanted to find out where the food he brought came from.

"I have to ask, Gajeel, where do you always find such delicious food?" Though he remained calm on the outside, Levy could see his ears perk up at the question.

"Oh? Have you tried any of it yet? I know I don't seem like the kind of guy with a sweet tooth, but that crumb cake is bangin'", he said.

"Oh, no, I haven't had any yet", she said. "I may try some later, but I'm really full right now." Something in his eyes spoke disappointment, but Levy wasn't sure.

"Oh", he said. "Well, the shop I got it from is probably going out of business soon anyway, so it doesn't really matter." There was that excuse again.

"Gajeel, you know you can't lie to me", she said sweetly. "You should tell me. Please?" She thought she just about had him when Jet and Droy showed up.

"LEVY!", they both yelled in unison. "We both got bingo! That's three hundred jewel each!" She smiled at them and told them that was great, and they proceeded to fight over who was going to take her on a date that night. She tried to act excited as she always did, but she really needed to finish talking to Gajeel. She turned to face him, only he had walked away to fight with Natsu, who had said something about Gajeel being too chicken to play bingo.

"I will kill you with your own damn scarf, Salamander!"

"I'll stab your eyes with your own piercings, steel-for-brains!"

"What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

Levy sighed and turned back to her own bickering companions when Lucy walked up behind her, eating an elk rib, Happy in tow.

"Hey Levy, what's wrong?", asked the comely blonde wizard. Lucy was Levy's closest friend, and always knew when Levy was upset. Only problem was, Levy _didn't_ know what was wrong.

"I don't know, Lu… I just tried talking to Gajeel", she began.

"Oooh, interested in the big hunk of steel, huh?", she asked. Levy blushed.

"That's not funny, Lucy! Anyway… I tried getting him to tell me where that food he brings came from. He asked if I tried any, and when I told him no, he seemed a little upset. I guess I hurt his feelings, but it's all store bought, so I don't get it. Maybe he's proud of his selection?" Lucy listened attentively as always. She offered Levy a piece of Gajeel's purchased crumb cake, which she accepted despite her resolution.

"I don't know, Levy. I think maybe it's a little deeper than that. He's been gone for a while, after all. Maybe he's upset that the first thing you wanted to talk about after he got back was the food." Levy had never thought of it that way. Gajeel had always seemed so tough and cool, she never really thought of him having a sensitive side like that. She knew he was a nice guy, but she always thought he disregarded things like that. She brushed some of her bright blue hair back under her headband.

"You think so?", she asked. Lucy nodded.

"I think our big bad Black Steel Gajeel has a soft spot for our little blue fairy", Lucy said, a sly grin on her face. Levy blushed again.

"Stop it, Lu! You can't just say things like that." Happy chimed in, and he and Lucy said in unison:

"He liiiiiiiiikes you."

"AAAH", Levy screamed. "I'll remember that next time I catch you alone with Natsu. Same with you and Carla, Happy!" At that, Lucy and Happy stopped laughing and started looking around to make sure nobody heard that. They knew how Mira got with that kind of stuff, and Laxus was always game for mocking them.

The rest of the day went by slowly after that. Gajeel disappeared again, most likely with Gray, Juvia, and Natsu. Levy didn't seem him again. She _had_ won a few rounds of bingo, resulting in some nice prizes. She won a new gaming Lacrima that she immediately gifted to Jet and Droy; she didn't really like videogames. She won a new book written by former Magic Council member Yajima about his experiences with the Council which she couldn't wait to read. And she had also won a gift basket from Gajeel's mystery shop. Inside was a box of chocolates, a candy apple, and a bottle of aged port wine from the southern coast of Fiore. Really expensive wine, at that. Levy wondered where Gajeel got the money for it, and why he would place such a nice vintage in an average bingo prize basket. She was saddened a little bit by the last prize. It reminded her of her mistake from earlier.

When the day had winded down, and the actual flower viewing had begun, Levy promised herself that she would go apologize to Gajeel. She went to find Juvia, who usually knew where Gajeel was; being partners during their Phantom Lord days, the pair had continued their friendship at Fairy Tail, and when Juvia wasn't glued to Gray's side, she was usually seen at either Lucy's or Gajeel's.

"Hey Juvia", Levy began, "have you seen Gajeel?" Juvia did not her hear over her own drooling over Gray. Levy asked again, and Juvia finally turned around.

"Oh, Juvia is sorry. Did you need something, Levy?", she asked.

"Have you seen Gajeel anywhere? I haven't seen him since noon." The water mage thought for a moment.

"He went home a few hours ago. He said he didn't fell so well, and that he probably had too much of Twilight Ogre's ale. Juvia had some too, it was very strong. Even Cana was a little put off." Levy could believe that. Twilight Ogre may not drink in equivalent quantities, but they did drink much more powerful stuff. Cana could still drink them under that table though, as she was currently demonstrating with Bacchus, who had come around for the festival.

Levy thanked her friend and went off toward Black Steel's house. _Can Gajeel really be that sensitive?_ She had to admit, she _had_ noticed a huge change since the day he joined Fairy Tail. Even after the incident with Laxus, he was still hard and uncaring, but as time went on, he opened up. He became very protective of his guild mates, though still highly critical at times. And although he would never admit it, he did listen very carefully to Romeo and Wendy when they had personal problems. Wizards as they might be, they were still very young, and needed a friend to go to when they were troubled. Somehow, they both found their way to Gajeel at times.

_Maybe he really is that sensitive_. She felt awful now. She had been his friend and team mate for years now, yet she never really considered his feelings before. She had always assumed him a hard, stoic man who wouldn't be affected by emotions. She pondered Lucy's words. "_I think our big bad Black Steel Gajeel has a soft spot for our little blue fairy."_ Was that really true? The thought awoke something in her; a latent desire she refused herself to fell for so long. Maybe she wanted him. She was willing to let herself find out.

Levy finally arrived at Gajeel's place. He and Pantherlily occupied the northern wing of a large, three family house which was being rented for 85,000 jewel a month. It was perfect for Gajeel, as he had two floors for himself, and the thick walls guaranteed total privacy. She knocked on the door.

"Shrimp? What are you doing here?", he asked. Levy looked at him for a moment, then looked at the floor. She was embarrassed by the way she acted earlier, and couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Hey Gajeel, I… I wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier", she began. Gajeel looked at her, confused. "I didn't take into consideration how you were feeling. I wanted to know more about the food you had brought than how you were doing. You were gone for a while, and I guess it seemed like I didn't care what had happened. You seemed really upset when I asked, and even more so when I told you I hadn't tried it yet."

Gajeel looked down at the blue haired girl, scratched the back of his head, and smiled. "Come on in, Shrimp", he said. She looked up in surprise. She figured she would say what she had to say and go home. But she obliged. When she entered the house, however, she noticed a wonderful scent wafting through the air.

"Is that… Shrimp?", she asked.

"Gihi", Gajeel laughed. "Prawns, to be exact. I wasn't upset that you asked about the food. The food IS the reason I was gone for a while." It was Levy's turn to look confused.

"Take a seat, shorty", he said, offering her one of the chairs surrounding his table.

"You're right. I was upset that you hadn't tried the food. And there is a good reason for that. Wait right here." He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two glasses of fine port wine.

"Lily is the only one who knows about this, and I made him keep it a secret. But I'm a bit of a chef", he said. "Every year, when I disappear for that week and a half, it's 'cuz I'm making the food I bring to the flower viewing. There's a lot I have to make, so I get started early." Levy's eyes widened.

"_YOU_ make it? Oh my goodness, I had no idea you could cook like that!" He laughed.

"Yup, Metalicana didn't just teach me Dragon Slayer magic. The old rustbucket was big into culture, and he figured the best way to get to know a culture is through its cuisine. I don't know much about any of that stuff, but I like food. So I asked him to teach me how to cook when I was really young. I kind of liked it. It gave me something else to be good at other than destroying stuff, even thought that _is_ pretty fun."

Levy was amazed. She should have guessed from his description of the foods he gave earlier, but she was so absorbed with finding out where he got the food that she never got the subtle hints he was dropping.

"If it was you all along, why not take some credit for it? You are amazing!", she exclaimed.

"I didn't want people to start asking me to work the kitchens with Mira. Fun as it is, I could never do it for huge amounts of people all the time. If I had to feed every idiot in that guild hall all the time, I'd go nuts. I always wonder how Mira and Kiana stay sane, but it just boggles me. So, I kept it a secret. Plus, it's kind of fun watching everyone else grovel to know where I got it."

_There's the Gajeel I know_, she thought. But she had another question.

"So, if you weren't upset, why did you leave the flower viewing early?" Again, the black haired wizard laughed.

"Flowers ain't really my thing. Besides, I knew you'd be coming over after the party, although I thought it'd be earlier, and to find out where I got the food. I decided that I'd cook ya a little something." At that moment, a timer went off in the kitchen.

"Be right back,", he said, as he finished off his glass of wine. He came back with two plates, two bowls, and a set of forks, spoons, and knives.

"Tonight", he began, "we have prawns stewed in a homemade fish stock with onions, potatoes, tomatoes, endive, and spicy red peppers, soft-boiled eggs with ham and black truffles, cheddar ale biscuits, and a fresh bitter green salad with lemon-sherry vinaigrette, and hot fudge lava cakes for dessert." Levy's mouth watered at the sound and smell of it all.

"Ms. McGarden", Gajeel said, a wide grin on his face, "care to join me for dinner?" He smiled, grabbed her hand, and kissed it. She blushed furiously.

"I graciously accept your invitation, Mr. Redfox", she said. Gajeel smiled.

"Gihi", he said as he poured her another glass of wine.

That night, Levy ate one of the best meals she ever had. And it was spent in the relative quiet of Gajeel's surprisingly clean, sleek, modern home. When they finished their meal, they had gone outside onto Gajeel's porch to watch the Magnolia cherry tree float down the river running through town. Levy looked at her tall, dark, and handsome Dragon Slayer chef as he sipped his wine.

"You know", she said, "I was there when Natsu started this tradition." Gajeel laughed.

"Leave it to Salamander to do something weird like that."

"Actually, it was kind of romantic. Lucy was sick and couldn't make it to the flower viewing, so he ripped it out of the ground, put it on a raft, and sent it down the river so that Lucy could see it from her window. The townsfolk liked it some much that the mayor decided to make it a part of the festival every year." Gajeel nodded.

"I suppose I can't top that", he said, "but I doubt he can cook like me." Levy laughed.

"That he can't", she said. Gajeel laughed and looked down at his blue haired companion.

"You know shrimp, this may be the first time I've ever done something like this for anyone. I always figured I was too cool for this kind of thing, you know? But you're different. You don't judge me like everyone else. Yeah, I like them all good enough I guess, but they all expect the super tough badass me, which I'm totally okay with. But I like being able to relax around you."

At this, Levy blushed, a soft, meek smile creeping onto her lips. _So this is the sensitive side of Gajeel_, she thought. She inched closer to her big, muscular Dragon Slayer.

"I'm glad I do that for you," she said. Gajeel looked at her, smiled, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his chest and smiled. They spent the next hour like this, watching the cherry tree as it floated down the river, and the moon and stars when it had passed. Like this they sat, the cool, spring breeze blowing the fallen flower petals into the air, shimmering little rainbows in the light of the moon. Gajeel leaned over and kissed her long and deep, and Levy couldn't help but return the kiss tenfold.

As they continued watching the calm waters and clear night sky, Levy couldn't help thinking that this was the best night of her life.

They spent the rest of that night in each other's arms, swinging slowly in a hammock by the fire pit. Gajeel caught another glimpse of his fairy before drifting off to sleep.

"Thanks shrimp."


End file.
